Long-awaited NSB hotel set to open next month

Wednesday

Nov 21, 2012 at 3:04 PM

The city's first new hotel in more than 20 years is finally set to open Dec. 20.

RICHARD CONNSTAFF WRITER

NEW SMYRNA BEACH — The city's first new hotel in more than 20 years is finally set to open Dec. 20. Originally, developers of the Hampton Inn and Suites, which fronts Flagler and Florida avenues in the 200 block between Peninsula Avenue and Pine Street, had hoped to open the three-story, 112-room hotel by Thanksgiving. But a couple of weather-related delays pushed back the opening, said the project's developer, David Swentor, a partner of Charleston, S.C.-based Premiere Development Group. "All in all, to lose two weeks wasn't all that bad for a project that takes over a year to build," Swentor said. The Hampton Inn project has been several years in the making, and its approval in 2010 by the city was preceded by a lot of public debate. Proponents of the project touted the boost the hotel would provide to the local economy, while critics voiced concerns about traffic and how the development would fit in with the surrounding neighborhood's historic character. In an attempt to better blend in with the beachside homes and business district, the $16 million hotel has been designed in a Florida Vernacular architectural style. From Flagler Avenue, the hotel resembles two large Key West-style homes built side by side. Swentor said his company, in designing the building, didn't want the Hampton Inn to have a "big hotel presence" on Flagler Avenue. Now that the project is nearing completion, Swentor said some people making deliveries to the hotel have driven past it because it doesn't look like a typical lodging facility. "That's what we're looking for; that's what we're trying to achieve," he said. Furniture is set to be moved into the building beginning next week, and hotel staff will soon begin their training, Swentor said. The Hampton Inn will employ between 40 and 45 people. A cupola that previously topped the Flagler Avenue Boardwalk will complement the hotel's courtyard area. The old pavilion top was removed as part of about $1.3 million worth of renovations to the boardwalk area, and the city solicited bids for the wood and metal structure. Premiere Development submitted the only bid of $500. The cupola is being refurbished now and should be in place within a few weeks after hotel's opening, Swentor said. Samantha Bishop, executive vice president of the Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce, said the hotel should bring a "whole other element of tourism" to the area, by adding needed lodging for those attending sports tournaments and other special events in the area. "It also makes available an online registration program that to date we don't have," she said.